The city has released an RFP to develop the 59,500-square-foot parking lot at 93rd Avenue and 169th Street in Jamaica, according to Queens Courier. It’s currently a two-story garage used by the NYPD that will have to be torn down to make way for housing. The city is seeking a development that includes market-rate housing, affordable housing, and possibly ground-floor retail. No word on how dense this building could be, but the NYCEDC told the Courier that the site could accommodate “hundreds” of units while also creating 400 construction jobs and 80 permanent jobs. There’s an April 30th deadline for developers to submit their plans.

It’s the most diverse county in the world and the best tourism destination in the United States, so it’s no surprise that Queens is overflowing with wonderful Valentine’s Day activities and bargains. In fact, local chances for romance and fun related to this international holiday are so numerous that they run for more than two weeks and include everything from live music to a “love run,” hotel getaways, and even a blood drive for the do-gooders. Another photo and many more details are on the jump page.

Today Senator Tony Avella announced a safety improvement for the dangerous Jamaica intersection at 148th Street and 87th Avenue. A local resident requested safety measures here; in turn Avella requested that the Department of Transportation look into it. According to his office, “In September of 2014, DOT completed their analysis of the intersection, taking into consideration factors such as vehicular and pedestrian volumes, accident experience, vehicular speeds, visibility, and signal spacing.”

The DOT ultimately decided that a “multi-way stop” traffic control would be best for the intersection. (That essentially means the intersection is getting four-way stop signs.) Plans for installation were just approved, and the DOT plans to put it up within one month. GMAP

How cute is this Tudor-style ranch home, at 171-33 119th Road in Jamaica? It’s currently configured as a two bedroom, but the listing says it could be three. Although it’s a cozy space it comes with a finished basement and a backyard in dire need of some TLC. (That mirrored wall in the kitchen has got to go, too.) But overall this is a home with good bones, inlcuding cathedral ceilings and a fireplace in the living room. We also like that kitchen renovation. The ask of $349,000 sounds about right, but what do you think?

If you were wondering what that ambitious development planned for the parking lots along Merrick Boulevard near 168th Street and 90th Avenue in Jamaica was going to look like, here you go. DNAinfo pulled up a rendering of the project, which will include 160,000-square-feet of retail space, a 550-space parking garage and affordable housing. (There still are no details on how many apartment units will be built.) According to DNAinfo, the developer — Blumenfeld Development Group with the help of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation — is courting an anchor retail store and is in talks with Costco, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, BJ’s Wholesale and some different supermarkets.

Because the project is so big, it will be required to go through a ULURP process. Blumfeld doesn’t expect approvals in place until 2016.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a list of 175 city-owned sites around New York with the potential for affordable development. And as Queens Courier reports, 17 of those sites are in Jamaica (and are the only parcels singled out in the borough). The HPD is offering financing to developers willing to build developments in which one in every three units is affordable, or is regulated up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income. The list has caused some controversy, as 16 of the sites selected around New York are currently active community gardens. There is one garden at risk in Jamaica, the McKinley’s Children’s Garden.

The Courier points out the most interesting space available in the neighborhood: 108-59 Union Hall Street, the single largest parcel with 8,830 square feet, which could be combined with adjacent lots for a total of 20,800 square feet of land.

There’s been a lot of talk concerning better bus service in Queens as of late. The discussion continues tonight at the Townsend Harris High School library (149-11 Melbourne Avenue) in Flushing. The Department of Transportation is holding an open house about the Flushing to Jamaica Select Bus Service and plans to present the first round of designs for future bus stop locations. Feel free to stop by anytime between 6:30 and 8 pm to check out the designs and leave feedback. Refreshments will be provided.

Construction is moving steadily at 190-11 Hillside Avenue, a 21-unit, seven-story building slated for Jamaica. The developers, TCX Development, recently tweeted the above photo of the construction site. Work on the 15,000-square-foot building kicked off in December of 2013 and is expected to wrap in March of this year. Once finished, there will be one- and two-bedroom units starting from around $1,600 a month. The developer is planning to market to nearby St. John’s University students.

Developers are finally moving forward to transform the T Building, a 10-story Art Moderne structure at the Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica. Queens Courier reports from a Community Board Eight meeting that Dunn Development Corp signed a 99-year lease with the city to build out 205 apartments here. 75 of those units will be reserved for Queens Hospital Center patients transitioning out of care. According to the Courier, “These 75 units will be filled with people who have been dependent on the hospital’s medical services and run up high costs.” There will be three levels of background checks before patients are accepted into the residential building. (A previous plan to develop the T Building into housing for low-income residents with chronic illness was shot down by nearby residents, so we will see how this plan goes over.) Half of the other apartments will be set aside for Community Board Eight residents.

There’s no timeline on construction yet, but we previously heard that construction isn’t expected to start for at least a year.

Yesterday Queens Courier shared an update on an ambitious retail development planned for parking lots along Merrick Boulevard near 168th Street and 90th Avenue. The latest plan, according to the Courier, now includes residential space. Greater Jamaica Development Corp. and Blumenfeld Development Group initially announced details on this development in 2013, but the project is moving slowly. The hope is to build out a 265,000-square-foot retail center (designed to accommodate big box retailers), an affordable housing building and a parking garage with 550 spaces. There are no concrete details on the affordable housing yet, as the project is still in the planning phases.

It’ll actually take awhile for this development to get off the ground — the developers must go through a ULURP approvals process before building the 550-spot parking garage. They hope to gain the necessary approvals by 2016.